Crisis Intervention Team Training and Ally-Building Essentials. Chief Donald De Lucca, Immediate Past President, IACP

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1 Crisis Intervention Team Training and Ally-Building Essentials Chief Donald De Lucca, Immediate Past President, IACP

2 International Association of Chiefs of Police The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is a professional association for law enforcement worldwide, representing more than 30,000 members in over 150 countries. Law enforcement encounters with persons affected by mental illness are a top issue for the IACP. In , the IACP held a series of 15 listening sessions across the U.S. and Canada to hear the critical issues facing law enforcement agencies. Common theme was the lack of mental health treatment options left officers as the de facto mental health providers in their communities.

3 History of Mental Illness in the U.S. Persons affected by mental illness are a particular challenge for the law enforcement profession. 1960s: 150 million population; 600,000 beds for inpatient treatment. Present day: 320 million population; 50,000 beds for inpatient treatment.

4 History of Mental Illness in the U.S. (cont d) Officers are often forced to resort to arrest and booking as the only available solution due to unavailable, cumbersome, or uncooperative mental health services. Mental health became a criminalized condition.

5 Police Encounters with Mental Illness Statistics Approximately 5% of U.S. residents have a serious mental illness, and percent of individuals in jail have severe mental illness. An estimated 7% of law enforcement contacts in jurisdictions with 100,000 or more residents involve mentally ill persons. The New York Police Department responds to about 150,000 calls involving emotionally disturbed individuals.

6 Police Encounters with Mental Illness Statistics (cont d) The Washington Post reported that in 2015, law enforcement officers shot and killed 991 people, 25% of whom were suffering from signs of mental illness. In 2016, The Washington Post reported that law enforcement officers shot and killed 963 people, 25% of whom were suffering from signs of mental illness. An American Psychiatric Association study shows 36% of 707 officerinvolvedshootings in a 10-year period were suicide by cop.

7 Police Encounters with Mental Illness Statistics (cont d) The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) found persons with severe mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police. Studies conducted in Canada and the United Kingdom suggest police response to persons affected by mental illness is not a U.S.-centric issue.

8 Local Relevance Miami-Dade County is home to the largest percentage of people with serious mental illnesses of any urban community in the United States, but less than 13% of these individuals receive treatment. Approximately 45% of the homeless in Miami-Dade County have a chronic mental illness and co-occurring disorder. There are 5 times more people with mental illnesses in Florida jails than in state hospitals, and these individuals are more likely to stay in jail 8 times longer than those without mental illness at a cost of 7 times more.

9 Recent Changes Affecting Mental Health Services Social media often puts a spotlight on law enforcement activity, and perspectives on what is occurring in recordings can differ greatly from person to person. Synthetic drug distribution and abuse has significantly increased. Individuals affected by mental illness may be particularly vulnerable to drug addiction.

10 IACP One Mind Campaign

11 Four Promising Practices The One Mind Campaign allows a period of months for pledging agencies to the below promising practices: Establish a clearly defined and sustainable partnership with one or more community mental health organization(s). Develop and implement a model policy addressing police response to persons affected by mental illness. Demonstrate that 100 percent of your agency s sworn officers (and selected non-sworn staff, such as dispatchers) are trained in Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety. Demonstrate that a minimum of 20 percent of your agency s sworn officers (and selected non-sworn staff, such as dispatchers) are trained and certified in CIT.

12 Beyond the Campaign Provide mental health training in academies and routinely implement updated training in department roll calls. Partner with state associations of chiefs or sheriffs to adopt a statewide model. Use technology to enhance awareness of community mental health services. Take a leadership role with communities to support the establishment of mental health court. Implement routine diversity and cultural awareness trainings, focused on cultural or language barriers that make effective response difficult.

13 Promising Practices: Arlington, Texas, Police Department Portion of officers are trained in CIT and they require 2 officers to respond to every call involving an emotionally disturbed individual, The Arlington Police Department works with local hospitals to ensure mentally ill people receive the medical clearance they need in order to be accepted by a mental health provider. In Tarrant County, Texas, officers have a direct line to mental health professionals who can offer timely guidance.

14 Promising Practices: Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department CIT-trained officers collaborate with the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board at the Merrifield Crisis Response Center. Diversion First provides alternatives to incarceration for people with mental illness or development who come into contact with law enforcement for minor offenses.

15 Promising Practices: Springfield, Missouri, Police Department Pilot program with Burrell Behavioral Health began in Select Springfield officers can video chat with an on-call mental health professional when they encounter an individual in a crisis. Allows for a calming of the situation and lets officer consider diverting the individual to a mental health resource.

16 Promising Practices: Doral, Florida, Police Department Doral Police Department holds regular CIT training 81% of the sworn officers are CIT certified - goal of having every officer CIT certified by years end. Innovative programs such as Alzheimer s training, Blue Courage training, and Autism Awareness Training are in place. Administrative review process of critical incidents.

17 Conclusion By pledging to join the One Mind Campaign, agencies can begin or continue their efforts to ensure officers can recognize the signs of mental disorders and divert them to the appropriate mental health services. Pledge today at Law enforcement agencies need to come alongside behavioral and mental health fields and help hold each other accountable in how we treat those with mental illness. We cannot continue to allow mental illness to be criminalized.

18 Resources IACP One Mind Campaign IACP Model Policy MHFA Crisis Intervention Team International BJA Toolkit BJA PMHC Toolkit